Airplanes
by lollypopgirl222
Summary: "I could really use a wish right now." Ana Hatcher moves from a small town in Louisiana to La Push after her mom dies. Her father had always been a part of La Push, but moved away to please Ana's mother. She finds out more about herself. EmbryxOC
1. Chapter 1

Ever since my mom died, I had a hard time being me. It was a terrible accident, and that's all I ever heard of it. I remembered my mother in a coffin, and every time I thought of that, it made me harder and colder. Even looking at my dad, and remembering how close he and my mom were, made me want to hate everything more. I couldn't believe I lost the one person in my life who actually saw the real me. No one ever thought of me as pretty, or smart, or gentle, except for my mom. She knew the real me.

I always loved working on cars; that's what set me apart in life. I was really good at it too, and it was sort of my "creative outlet". I never really liked to do anything else (except for horsing around with the guys at my dad's football practice). Cars were so complicated, and I loved messing with them. I think that's what kept me sane after my mom's death.

My dad decided that we needed to get out of Louisiana (my birth place) to keep both of our happiness intact. He thought that if we weren't in Shreveport anymore, that, somehow, I would forget about my mom's death and move on. No offense, but moving to a small Indian reserve in the middle of nowhere wouldn't make me ever forget my mom's death, and everything that happened to me.

But we moved down to La Push anyways. It wasn't like I could stop it, but I wished I could with all my heart. My dad said La Push was wonderful and it would be just like my home in Shreveport, but I knew it wouldn't. School started as soon as we got there, and my dad had a coaching job. He invited me to come along, and I was too upset to leave him. Even though my dad reminded me of my mom, he was also my support system.

My dad thought he could buy me over with a car that I could mess with and fix. It almost worked; he didn't need to buy me over, but making us move to La Push was a pretty big thing.

Before school started, I started working on the car. I woke up at five in the morning to be at school at eight, because I really wanted to work on the car. I was so excited to have a new car, especially since it was a Ford. I loved Fords.

So I decided to tag along with my dad. La Push high school was nothing like the one in Shreveport. My first day was filled with talking to nobody. Then I realized I needed human contact to stay sane. That's why I went to my dad's first football practice.

I wore a pair of faded jeans with a white tank top under a black jacket, a pair of black converse, and my brown, highlighted hair into a ponytail with my bangs sweeping over my grey eyes.

The boys in La Push were extremely hot, which, in my opinion, wasn't everything, but it was a big factor. I watched from the sidelines as the boys practiced.

When the boys went to go get water, I ran up to my dad. He smiled at me and took me in his arms.

"Boys," my dad announced. "This is Ana, my daughter."  
One of the boys laughed. "So this is the girl that's been watching our butts for the past hour."

"Yeah, I was totally staring at all of your asses." I smiled. "You wish."

"Play nice, Ana," my dad laughed. "I got to go turn in your paperwork. You guys are dismissed."  
They all ran for their stuff except for the guy who was laughing at me. He came closer. I leaned on the fence by where the guys were practicing.

"Hey." He held out his hand. "I'm Embry."

"Hey." I took his hand. "Ana."

"I noticed." He leaned on the fence as well. "So, what are you and your dad doing back here?"  
"Back here?" I asked. "I never lived down here before."

"Well, your dad did, and he said he'd never come back."

"My mom died." I looked into the distance, across the football field and to the mountains. "That's why he moved us down here."

"Oh." I'm sure he felt like an idiot. "I'm sorry."

"It's cool."

"What have you been doing down here?" Embry asked.

"Working on this car my dad bought me," I mused. "It seems like the only fun thing to do around here."

"That's awesome," he laughed. "I love working on cars."  
"Really?" I asked. "That's so cool."

"Yeah, what kind of car do you have?"

"Just an old Ford."

"We could totally work on that together," he said. "If you want to, I mean."  
"That'd be awesome." I looked at him with soft eyes. "If you want to."

"I'd like that."

"Cool. So when do you want work on it?"

"Well, my parents don't really like me to go out during school nights, but I can come over this weekend."

"Okay."  
"My parents are probably expecting me home soon, so I'll catch you later at school?"  
"Yeah."

"Bye, Ana."

"Bye."

Man, this boy was cool.

My dad came back from turning in paperwork to take me home. I followed him out to the parking lot and got into his car. The ride home was silent. We always had things to talk about, but, since my mom was gone, things changed.

We got home, and I offered to make dinner, but my dad said that he would make it. We were all alone in the house.

"Honey!" my dad called from the kitchen. "Why don't you go down to the shore? I'm sure you'll love it down there!"

"'Kay, Dad!"

I grabbed my coat and walked out of the house. The coast wasn't too far away. I shoved my hands in my pockets and watched the forest as I walked. Everything around me was alive, literally.

For some reason, ever since I was little, I could always hear animals. It was a special gift of mine. I didn't know how I could, or why I could, but I did, and it was sort of amazing.

I heard animals all around me; their thoughts rang in my ears. I was so used to most animal thoughts that I ignored most of them. I only really listened if the animal thoughts were really loud, which meant they were really close.

The coast was a ten-minute walk from our house. I got there, and there was no one there. I sat down on the rocky shore and played with the rocks.

"Qwil!" a little girl screeched. "Pwetty wock!"  
"Yes, darling," a male voice answered. "Very pretty."

I looked over to my right, and there were two people: a little girl that had to be at least three, and a boy, who had to be at least sixteen, though he looked older.

"Hey!" the boy called Quil called. He grabbed the little girl, sat her on his shoulders, and jogged towards me. I smiled. "You're Coach Hatcher's daughter, right?"

"Yeah, I am. And you're Quil?"

"Yeah, how'd you know?"

I smiled up at the little girl. "This one was shouting it on the top of her lunges."  
He took the little girl off his shoulders and set her down on the rocks. "Claire, say hi to Ana."  
"Hewwo," Claire put her hands behind her nervously.

"Hey sweety," I greeted, holding out my hand. "It's very nice to meet you."

She took my index finger in her little hand and shook it up and down. I smiled sweetly.

"Are you two related?"  
"No," Quil replied. "I'm watching her for Allison Jackson, Emily Uley's sister."  
"Oh, Sam Uley's wife?" I asked. "Dad told me about them."

"Cool."

Claire tugged on Quil's pants. He squatted to her level.

"Yes darling?" he asked.

"Tell Ana she's pwetty," Claire whispered.

I smiled. "Aw, she's so cute."  
"Thanks." He picked her up and turned her upside down. "She's a little monster."  
Claire had a giggle fit. I chuckled as well; Quil was laughing too.

"Well." Quil put Claire down. "Can we sit with you?"

"Of course you can."

"This one's giving me a run for my money," Quil told me. "And, look, here comes her favorite person."

"MOMMY!" Claire squealed, running to the young, American Indian woman. She was exceptionally beautiful, so I imagined her sister would be too.

"Hello princess." Allison took Claire in her arms, picked her up, and hitched Claire on her hip. "Did uncle Quil take good care of you?"  
She nodded.

"And you are?" Allison asked, looking at me.

"Oh, I'm Ana Hatcher," I told her. "Nice to meet you."

"Nice to meet you too." Allison adjusted Claire on her hip. "Well, I'm taking Claire back to Emily's. We'll see you later, Quil, Ana."

I waved, and so did Quil, as they walked away. I leaned back on the palms of my hands and looked at the ocean.

"So, do you like La Push so far?" Quil asked.

"It's only been a day," I reminded him with a little chuckle.

"Doesn't mean you can't like it."  
"Well, it's alright. I haven't met too many friends yet."  
"You will," he assured me.

"Good." I got up. "Well, my dad's probably wondering where I am."

"Okay." He got up. "Tell the coach I say 'hey'."  
I got up as well. "I will."

Quil came over and hugged me. I smiled and hugged him back. Usually, it was awkward when I hugged guys, but Quil was nice to hug.

I walked off. The walk home was just as lively as the walk to the shore. I could hear everything around me, and it was calming.

When I got home, my dad was done with dinner. I started setting the table.

"How was the beach?" he asked as I took cups out of a box that we had. Did I mention that everything was pretty much still in boxes?  
"It was good," I replied. "Quil says hi."

"Oh, Ateara?" he laughed. "Good kid."

"Yeah, he was babysitting."

"That's nice. These kids like to help out when they can."  
After dinner, I went upstairs. I tried to go to sleep, but I couldn't, so I pulled out my copy of _The Last Song _and started reading.


	2. Chapter 2

I woke up the next morning to the beeping of my alarm clock. It was my second day of school. I moaned, rolled over on my stomach, and looked at my blinking clock. It was five thirty.

I got out of bed and walked into the bathroom to take a shower. I turned on the water and waited until it was steaming hot. After I took my shower, I got dressed into a pair of flare jeans, a long-sleeved, flannel, blue shirt, and my brown work boots. I did put some eyeliner on, but that was my only make-up.

My dad had to drive me to school, because my car wasn't ready, plus my dad got a P.E. job as well as a coaching job. So he drove me to school.

When we got to school, I saw Quil and Embry hanging with a bunch of boys that looked like men. I looked at my dad.

"Bye, Dad." I hugged him. "See you after school."  
I got out of the car, threw my backpack over my shoulder, and mad sure I walked right past Embry and Quil. They saw me.

"Ana!" Quil called, beckoning me over.

I let out a sigh of relief, turned around, and walked towards them.

"Hey guys," I greeted.

"Oh, Coach Hatcher's daughter. I'm Paul."

"Her name's Ana," another boy said, "Jacob."  
"And I'm Seth."

"Brady."

"Jared."

"Collin."  
I looked around at the boys, or, rather, men. It sort of scared me that they were so manly. I wasn't used to guys this big.

"So…" I mused. "You guys all on the football team?"

"Yeah," Jared answered. "And we want to test out your flag football skills."  
"Oh really?" I chuckled.

"Yeah, really." Collin hit Brady's shoulder. "But if we tackle you, it's not our fault."  
"I'll tackle all of y'all before you even touch me."

"Y'all?" Jacob laughed. "God, you're special."  
"Thanks." I pouted. "That makes me feel good."  
"Poor baby." Embry came over and hugged me. "Don't worry. He's a jackass."  
I chuckled. Jacob pushed Embry as soon as he let o of me. Embry pushed him back, and they laughed as they tackled each other to the ground. I stepped back and bumped into Collin.

"The bell rang," he said. "Jacob, Embry, get up!"  
They got off each other, pat each other on the back, and then grabbed their bags.

"Do we all have senior English together?" I asked as we walked.

"No," Embry replied. "Brady, Seth, and Collin are juniors."  
I nodded. "Oh."

"Yeah, so you, Jared, Paul, Jacob, Quil, and I have almost every class together."

"That's fun," I teased.

"It should be." He wrapped his arm around me. "We're going to Sam's after practice. You wanna come?"

"I thought your mom didn't like you to go out on school nights."  
"She only lets me go to Sam's."

"Oh." I walked into the classroom. "I'll be there, after football when I kick your ass!"  
"Sure…" Embry chuckled. "Whatever you say."  
I sat down in the first empty seat I found. Embry sat down next to me. Class started.

"Alright guys!" my dad yelled. "Practice is over!"  
I jogged over in my workout shorts and a wife beater.

"Coach!" Jacob jogged over to my dad. "We've got some unfinished business with your daughter."  
"What is that?" my dad chuckled.

Jacob tossed the football into the air. "A game of flag football."  
"Play nice, Ana," my dad warned. "Don't beat them too badly."  
"Beat us?" Paul laughed. "Team up."  
It was me and four other guys versus Paul, Jared, Jacob, Embry, and Quil. Let's just say they were good losers.

"God," Embry laughed as I chugged water. "You're good."

"Thanks." I took a deep breath. "You're good too, for a boy."

He gave me a soft shove. "You're funny."  
"I know." I shoved him back "So are we going to Sam's?"  
"Yup."

"Dad!" I called. "I'm going to Sam Uley's!"  
"Be back by midnight!" he called back.

"Kk!"  
"Here, let me drive you."

I followed Embry to his car and climbed in. He drove us ten minutes away from the school. The house looked lie all the other houses, so I wasn't too impressed or scared. I simply followed Embry inside.

"Boys!" Emily greeted as she put muffins on the table, and then looked at me. "Who's this?"

She was beautiful, to say the least, but her face was scarred. I almost wanted to gasp in disbelief. It almost ruined her beauty.

"Ana Hatcher," Jacob announced, grabbing a muffin.

"Oh, Marcus's daughter." She hit Jacob. "Ladies first. Muffin?"  
"Yes please."

Jacob tossed one to me; I caught it. Embry came up next to me and grabbed a muffin.

"Emily's the best cook in the world," Embry bragged.

"Yeah," I chuckled. "Better than my dad."  
Sam came through the hallway and into the kitchen. He was shirtless, well built, and cute, but way too old for me.

"Ana." He held out his hand. "I'm Sam Uley."  
I wiped the crumbs off my hand and took his. "Nice to meet you. My dad's told me about you."  
"Yeah. My dad and your dad go way back."  
"That's cool." I took a bite of my muffin. "Your wife's an excellent cook."

Sam smiled. "Thanks." He wrapped his arms around her and kissed her. "I know."

"So, Jacob, when's Bella bringing Nessie over?" Emily asked.

"Nessie?" I questioned.

"My girlfriend," Jacob replied. "And Bella's coming tomorrow for the bonfire."

"Oh, I forgot to ask." Embry turned to me. "Wanna come?"

"Yeah. I'll ask my dad."

"So what's for dinner, Emms?" Jared asked, chewing on his muffin.

"You've got plenty here," Emily laughed. "Go home and eat…" She smacked Jared's hand. "… save some for your brothers."  
Seth, Brady, and Collin walked in.

"Hey!" Seth called. "Ana!"  
He tackled me with a hug. I laughed out loud. He picked me up and spun me around.

"Leave her alone!" Emily called. "Grab a muffin."  
"Thanks Em." Collin grabbed one. "You're the best."

"I should be getting home," I said aloud. "I've got to take care of my dad."  
"Alright." Emily smiled. "It was nice meeting you."

"It was nice meeting you too," I replied.

Embry hugged me first. "I'll drive you home."  
He took my hand and led me outside. I climbed into his car; Embry climbed in next to me. I shivered.

"You cold?" Embry asked, opening his arm for me.

I nodded, scooted over, and cuddled to his chest. He wrapped his arm tightly around me. He was so warm, and it felt so right. This boy made me shiver.

"Why are you so cold?" he teased, wrapping his arms around me and rocking back and forth. He had already parked the car in front of my house.

"I just am." I giggled, but the giggling stopped after I looked him in the eye.

Embry brushed the hair out of my face and slowly traced that hand down my cheek. I pulled away quickly.

"I better get going," I whispered nervously.

"Yeah." Embry grabbed the steering wheel in frustration. "See you later."

I felt bad for leaving Embry there, when all he wanted was a little kiss, but kisses weren't my thing, and I didn't want to disappoint him.

I walked into the house and turned on the kitchen lights. My dad, of course, was sleeping o the couch with a bag of potato chips on his stomach and the TV on.

"Dad." I threw my stuff to the side. "Daddy!"

My dad sat up slowly and put the bag of chips on the table.

"Hey sweetheart," he yawned.

"Hey Dad." I kissed his forehead. "I'm going to bed. Night."  
"Night, princess."  
I walked upstairs, climbed into bed, and fell asleep.

"Dad!" I called, grabbing my bag. "We're going to be late!"  
My dad rushed downstairs. I chuckled and rolled my eyes. He was always late for everything. It was somewhat annoying, but I loved him, and I was excited. The bonfire was that night.

I went to school, hung out with the boys, and then went to their football practice. Embry told me he would pick me up for the bonfire.

My dad told me to dress warm, so I wore a long-sleeved, tight shirt, a pair of jeans, my work boots, and my biggest, warmest jacket. I brought a blanket just in case.

Embry was supposed to pick me up at seven, but he came at six forty-five. He rang the doorbell, and my dad answered.

"Hello, coach." I heard Embry say. "Is Ana home?"  
"Yes," my dad replied. "Listen, you take good care of her and…"  
"Dad!" I interrupted. "Be nice!"  
I ran down the stairs with my blanket clenched to my chest. Embry smiled when he saw me.

"Hey." I walked up to my dad.

"Hey Ana," Embry greeted. "How are you?"

"Good." I walked over to him. "Bye Dad."  
"Don't do anything stupid!" my dad called after us.

I shook my head as Embry and I walked away.

We climbed into his car. Embry started the car, and we drove away.

"So, Ana, do you like the guys?"  
It was obvious he was trying to make small talk. It was awkward since we almost kissed.

"They're cool," I replied, not looking at him.

"Yeah."

Thankfully, we got to the bonfire. There were at least thirty people there. I was nervous.

"You coming?" Embry asked, holding my door open.

"Yeah."

I climbed out of the car; Embry put his arm around me and led me to the crowd.

"Ana!" a man in a wheel chair came up to me. "I'm Billy Black. Your father and I were best friends."  
"It's nice to meet you, sir."  
"Ana!" Jacob walked over with a young, white girl attached to his hip. This was getting overwhelming. "This is Nessie."  
"That's a nickname," Nessie laughed. "My real name's Renesme, but you can call me Nessie. That's all Jacob's calls me."

I smiled. "It's nice to meet you, too, Nessie."  
"There are so many people you need to meet," Nessie told me, taking my hand. "I'll take care of her, Embry."

Embry nodded as Nessie dragged me away.

"Ana." We stopped in front of a bunch of girls. "This is Kim, Jared's girlfriend, Jennifer, Collin's girlfriend, Molly, Seth's girlfriend, Rachel, Paul's girlfriend, and Angel, Brady's girlfriend."  
"Hi!" Kim got up and hugged me. "Any friend of Nessie's is a friend of ours. Sit! Sit!"  
I sat down on their picnic blanket and then wrapped my own blanket around my body. It had to be less than forty degrees out. I was so freezing.

"Do you like an guys here?" Molly asked.

I shrugged. "Sort of."  
"Sort of?" Jennifer laughed. "How do you not know?"  
"I just don't know how much I like him," I explained.

"Oh." Rachel winked.

"Oh no!" Angel giggled. "Here come the boys!"  
I looked behind me, and all eight boys were walking towards us.

"Hey girlies." Jacob sat down behind Nessie and pulled her onto his lap. "How are you guys?"

Embry sat down next to me.

I didn't know why, but it seemed like gravity pulled me to him. I was attracted to him; there was no doubt about that, but I was so nervous. I never really had a boyfriend; I was always "one of the guys", but I didn't want to be anymore. I wanted to be a girl, a real girl. I wanted a boyfriend, but I didn't know Embry that well, but I liked him. There was no harm in a crush.

I scooted closer to Embry; he put his arm around me, and I cuddled to his chest.

"So, what do we do at these bonfires?" I asked.

Embry had both arms around me.

"We talk," Kim said.

"And eat," Jacob laughed.

Nessie hit him.

"And the elders tell stories," Nessie added.

"That's cool," I mused. "Where's the food?"  
Everyone laughed.

"Seriously," I continued.

"I'll take you." Embry pulled me up and never let go of my hand. "It's over here."

He led me to another group of teens.

"Hey guys," Embry greeted. "What do we have to eat?"  
"Hot dogs and s'mores," a girl answered nervously.

"What do you want, Ana?"  
"Hot dog," I whispered.

He got me one on a stick and took me over to the fire. We sat down by it, and I stuck my hot dog into the fire; Embry wrapped his arm around me.

"So, are you scared of me?" Embry asked.

I rested my head on his shoulder. "No, why?"  
"Because you wouldn't kiss me."  
"I'm not the most affectionate person." I whispered. "I've never kissed anyone before, except my parents."  
"You haven't?"  
"No." I sighed. "If you haven't noticed, I'm not the girliest girl in the world."  
"Well, you're the prettiest."  
I smiled. No boy had ever made me happy.

"Thanks."  
"Don't thank me." He squeezed my shoulder. "I'm just telling the truth."  
"Embry." I looked up at him. "Why are you so nice to me?"  
"Because you're worth it." He looked down at me. "I've never met someone so amazing in my life."  
Slowly, our faces came closer and closer together. I was so nervous, but I felt ready. I never wanted a kiss from anyone more in my life. I reached up a little more until our lips met. We kissed; it was short and sweet, but I loved it. It was amazing for my first kiss. It was great and amazing and everything I wanted.

When he pulled away, I opened my eyes. He smiled down at me. His eyes were amazing, and I wanted to kiss him again.

"Now you've been kissed," Embry chuckled.

"Yeah. I guess so."

"Woa!" Embry pulled my hot dog out of the fire. "Guess it got a little burnt."  
I looked at it and burst into laughter. Embry laughed too. We burnt the hot dog to a crisp, and it was hilarious.

"Good job," I laughed.

"Thanks." He kissed the top of my head. "But it was your fault."  
And I never wanted to be with a guy more.


	3. Chapter 3

Embry decided he was going to take me on a date. I was really nervous; I didn't know what to do. What was I supposed to wear? How was I supposed to act? Whenever I acted like "one of the guys", it got me nowhere. I had to call on a girly girl.

Nessie was perfect. I called her, and she said she would come over as soon as possible with the perfect dress. Dress? I thought. This was going to be fun.

Nessie came over two hours before my date with Embry. She had the dress and a box filled with make-up. She invited herself up to my room; I followed her.

"So." She unfolded the dress. "What do you think?"  
It was exactly my taste. It was a dark blue, long-sleeved, v-neck dress that I would've loved to wear. How Nessie could pick out the perfect dress amazed me. I didn't know what to do.

"Let's try it on." Nessie handed me the dress. "Go."

I went into the bathroom and put it on. It looked even more amazing on me than it did off. The skirt was flowing, but the top filled my every curve. Thank God Nessie and I were the same size.

When I walked out of the bathroom, Nessie stood up. There was a huge smile on her face. I had taken it as a good sign.

"You look beautiful!" she cooed, hugging me. "Now, what to do with your hair?"  
"My hair?" I asked.

"Yeah!" she answered. "We absolutely have to do something with this..." she took a piece of my hair "…mess."

"Mess?" I looked at my hair. "I guess."  
"Good, now that we're on the same page." Her smile grew. "Let's curl it!"  
"Okay?"  
"Yay!"

She took out all her tools and curled my hair. After she was done, I looked at myself in the mirror. I had never seen myself all made up. I actually loved the way I looked.

Nessie then did my make-up. I told her to only to put on lip-gloss and eyeliner, so that's all she put on, but she made it look amazing.

She left after that. I waited for Embry to come. It was five-thirty, and Embry was coming at six.

I went downstairs; my dad was sitting in the living room with the TV on. As I walked downstairs, my dad looked up. When he saw me, he smiled.

"Ana," he whispered. "You look lovely."

"Thanks, Dad."

"Who are you doing this for?" he asked.

"I can't do this for myself?"  
"Ana…"  
"It's for my date."  
"A date?"

"Yes, Dad. Don't act so surprised."  
"Who's you first date?"  
"Dad," I whined.

"Who is it?"  
"Embry, okay?"  
"He's a good kid."  
"Yeah, so please be nice."

"I'm always nice."  
"Daddy…"  
Before he could reply, the doorbell rang. I was so excited; I could barely breathe. For the first time in my life, a guy scared me. Sure, I had been nervous before, but never scared.

My dad answered the door. Embry was there in a clean-cut, dark grey T-shirt and jeans. He looked so handsome, and he was doing it all to impress me.

"Hello, Mr. Hatcher," Embry greeted. "Is Ana home?"

"Yeah, she is." My dad let him in. "What are you two doing?"

"I'm taking her out to dinner." Embry walked in and saw me. "Ana, you look… amazing."  
I blushed. "Thanks."  
He held out his hand. "You ready?"  
I nodded and took his hand. "Bye, Dad."  
"You two behave." He kissed my cheek. "I love you."  
"I love you too, Dad."  
"See you later, Mr. Hatcher."  
Embry led me outside and to his car. I climbed in, and he climbed in next to me. He started the car. For the first time, the heat started. I smiled.

"When did you get the heat to work?" I asked.

He looked at me. "Jacob and I have been working on it."  
"Oh cool. Now stop looking at me and watch the road."  
"I can't help it." He smirked. "You're too beautiful."

"Stop making me blush and watch the road."  
His smirk grew as he turned his vision to the road. I smiled to myself and thanked God I was with Embry. This was so amazing; I couldn't even believe that I was with him. I wasn't worth a minute of anyone's time, let alone Embry's. I didn't know how I was going to handle this, but I was going to do this. I was on my fucking first date.

We pulled up to the restaurant in Port Angeles. Embry got out of the car, but I was too mesmerized at the restaurant to even look away from it. Embry opened my door.

"You coming?"

I looked at him. "Yeah."

He held out his hand for me, and I took it as he helped me out of the car. He never let go of my hand, and I liked it that way. I never wanted him to ever let go of me.

"Do you like Italian food?" Embry asked as we walked to the restaurant, rubbing his thumb over my hand.

"Yeah." I smiled. "I do."

"Good, because it's the only good restaurant in Port Angeles, besides McDonald's."

I giggled; we walked into the restaurant. The hostess was taken aback by Embry and how amazingly hot he was. I smirked; she had to be so jealous that I, miss 'can't do anything right', was dating mister 'amazingly hot and buff''. Any girl would be jealous that _I _got _him_.

She took us to our table. We sat down, and the hostess gave us our menus. She left, and I was thankful, because that meant I was the only one enjoying Embry.

"So, Ana…" he started.

"Yes?" I asked, smiling.

"You look very pretty."

"Thanks."

"Actually, I've never seen someone so beautiful."  
I blushed and looked down at my lap. He was so sweet, so gorgeous; I couldn't believe it. How did I get so lucky? Why was I such a good person for Embry? He was way to good to be true.

"Why are you so sweet to me?" I asked. "I'm nothing more than a little girl from Louisiana."

"You're amazing." Embry reached over and took my hand. "That's why."  
I squeezed his hand and looked up at him. "Thanks."

"You're welcome." He smiled wider. "Now look at your menu. Order whatever you want; I'm paying."

"No!" I laughed. "I'm going to pay for myself."

"Are you kidding me?" he asked. "No, you're not paying. I'll pay."

"If you're sure…"

"I am. Now choose."

I let go of his hand and looked down at my menu.

"So, Ana, does your mother live in Louisiana?"

I stopped and looked up at him. I knew he didn't know any better, but it stung. No one had mentioned my mother since her funeral, and that almost made me forget that she was even dead, but not even Embry could keep the pain away.

"She's dead," I whispered, not looking up at him.

"Oh my Lord." I could feel him looking at me with sad eyes. "I'm sorry."  
I hated when people pitied me. I wasn't a charity case. But I did understand why people would feel sorry for me. My mother was my best friend, and losing her was hard.

"It's okay." I looked up at him, and I could feel tears filling my eyes. "She's gone, and I can't do anything about it."  
"How'd she die?"

My eyes grew softer, but I was angry. I knew he was just wondering about my mother, hoping that talking about it would make it go away, but talking would never make anything better.

"I don't want to talk about it."  
"Sorry." He looked down.

"It's okay."

"No, it's not. I shouldn't have asked."

"Really, it's fine. It's just hard for me to talk about."  
"I know; that's why I shouldn't have asked."  
"You know?" I asked.

"Well, I don't know personally. I just know that's it hard for people."

"Oh."

Thankfully, our waitress came to break the conversation. We ordered, and then ate, and our conversation was great from that point forth.

After dinner, we walked out of the restaurant. It was freezing outside, and I started shivering. Embry came and wrapped his arm around me. I cuddled to his chest. I didn't notice it then, but after a while I realized that he was extremely hot. It was strange for me, and I didn't know how to take it.

But I ignored it. We climbed into the car, and I scooted closer to him to absorb his heat. He put his arm around me again and rubbed my shoulder. It felt so right.

We got to my house, and he walked me to my doorway. We stood there for a while, holding hands. Finally, he leaned in and gave me a kiss. It was flawless.

"I'll see you later, Ana," Embry whispered, and then let go of my hands and walked away.

I raised my hand to wave at him. "Bye."  
I took a deep breath and opened my door. I heard my dad in the kitchen, so I walked to him.

"Dad?" I called. "Daddy? What are you doing in there?"  
"Trying to make some damn coffee." He looked at me. "Oh, you're home."

I smiled. "Yeah."

"How was the date?"

"It was good." I hugged him. "How was your night alone?"

"Good."

"Alright. Well, I'm going to bed. I love you."

"Love you too, Ana."

I walked upstairs and went to bed.


	4. Chapter 4

Being alone in my room gave me some time to think. I didn't go to sleep until two o'clock in the morning because I was thinking so much. I thought about everything in my life: my dad, my mom's death, and even Embry. I wondered what I was going to do with my life. I never really worried about my mom's death in a while until Embry mentioned it. He made me really think about it; it was all I really thought about. It was always in the back of my mind, but it never really came forward until Embry asked about it.

So I thought for a while. I thought about how I was with my dad, and how terrible it was to leave my friends and my family in Louisiana, I thought about my mom and how great it would be to have her back, and I thought about Embry and what I was going to do with him. Sure, I liked him a lot. Maybe I even liked him a little too much, and that's what scared me. It wasn't because he was too sweet, or too handsome, or anything like that. It was because I liked him too much; I had had crushes in my life, but I never liked anyone this much before.

Although my mom was gone, I started imagining what it would be like for her to be in La Push with me. I wondered how she would've reacted if she saw me in that dress the night I went out with Embry; she hadn't seen me in a dress since I was four. I wondered how she would help me handle Embry; she probably would've been more helpful than my dad. Sure, he was helpful, but my mom would've been an inspiration for me. She would've helped me realize that it was okay to like Embry so much.

But since she wasn't there, I thought it was bad to like Embry so much. I thought that no one should ever like someone that much. I almost decided not to talk to Embry anymore, but I couldn't do that. Like I said, I liked him too much to ever let him leave.

Eventually, I went to sleep. I had a dream, a very bizarre dream that was even too much for me to remember. All I remember was that my mom was there, and so was Embry, and I had to choose between them. It was scary for me.

I didn't have school the next day. Embry was coming over later that day to work on my car, which meant I did have to wake up at some point. I kept sneaking peeks at my clock, but didn't actually get up until eleven.

I decided to take a shower before I went downstairs to eat breakfast. I finished my shower, pulled my hair back into a ponytail, and put on a white wife beater and a pair of sweat pants. I knew that we would just be working on my car, so I didn't put any make-up on. I just went downstairs to eat breakfast.

My dad was gone; he left a note on the counter. He went over to Billy Black's house to help him with some stuff around the house. I was kind of excited to have the house to myself. I wondered if my dad knew Embry was coming over.

I ate a bowl of cereal and then went back upstairs to brush my teeth. By the time I finished that the doorbell rang. It was Embry.

I ran downstairs to answer the door, and there Embry was, leaning against the door frame, shirtless. I was so taken aback; I didn't know what to say. He smirked at my silence.

"You ready to work on your car?" he asked, crossing his arms over his chest.

I nodded breathlessly.

"Where is it?"

"In the back," I whispered. "Let me take you there."  
Bravely, I took his hand and led him to the backyard. There my truck was, a complete mess. I had been working on it a little before Embry came over, and I got somewhere, but not anywhere enough to get it to run. That's why I had Embry over: to get it to run.

"So this is it, huh?" Embry laughed.

I smiled. "Yeah."

"Well, let's get working on it."  
We started working. After about two hours, we stopped. Embry sat down in the bed of my truck. He beckoned me over. I climbed in and lay my head on his chest; he wrapped his arm around me.

"Do you wanna go over to Emily's?" he asked, pressing his lips to the top of my head. "She should be serving lunch."  
I looked up at him. "I don't want to be a bother."

He touched his forehead to mine. "You're never a bother."  
"Okay. I guess we can go."  
He kissed my lips softly. "Good. Let's go."  
We went around my house, hand in hand, and climbed into Embry's car. He started the car, and we drove over to Emily's. There was one other car parked outside.

We walked in and all the guys were there, including their girlfriends. I was surprised that there was only one car outside.

"Ana!" Jacob exclaimed, getting up, running over to me, and picking me up. "How's our girl?"  
"Good," I giggled. "Now put me down!"

Jacob put me down and walked over to Nessie, but she got up and hugged me.

"Big change from last night," she laughed, holding my hands and looking me up and down.

"Last night?" Molly laughed.

"Yeah, I helped her get ready for her date with Embry."  
"A date?" Rachel laughed. "Oooooooooo."

I blushed and smiled nervously. Embry put his arm around me.

"Ana!" Emily came from the kitchen and hugged me. "Looks like you've already made yourself at home."  
My smile grew. "Yeah. Thanks so much for lunch."  
Kim looked behind her and smiled. "Yeah, thanks Emms."

"No problem, darling." Emily came over with a tray of sandwiches. "And ladies first!"

"Yeah, yeah," Paul shook his head. "We know."  
The girls helped themselves to sandwiches. Embry gave me a little nudge forward to encourage me. I walked over to the tray and grabbed a sandwich. I started picking at it.

Then the boys got their sandwiches and started pigging out, even Embry. They ate so much; it was crazy. It was also kind of funny, to see them eat so much.

Embry finished and came next to me. I hadn't even finished one sandwich, and he had two.

"Are you not hungry?" he asked, wrapping his arm around me.

"No, I just eat slow." I held the sandwich up to him. "Bite?"  
He took a bite slowly and smirked at me. I smiled and shook my head as I took a bite as well. When we were both done chewing, Embry leaned down and kissed me. Jared wolf-whistled.

"Oh shut up!" I complained.

"Yeah, you're really going to get me to shut up," Jared laughed.

"Leave her alone," Emily warned.

"Yes mother."  
I smirked as Embry kissed the top of my head.


	5. Chapter 5

After we finished at Emily's, Embry took me home. My dad wasn't home yet, so, since the first time I got there, I sat down and watched television. I was never a really big TV person, but it was relaxing to sit down and just let my mind go numb.

I fell asleep in front of the TV until my dad woke me up.

"Ana," my dad whispered. "Ana, wake up."

"Dad," I moaned. "Leave me alone."  
"You need to go upstairs to your bed." He picked me up. "Let's go."  
He carried me up to my room, and I fell back asleep.

But I was awoken again by a knocking on my window. I got up, rubbed my eyes, and walked over to my window. Embry was standing bellow me.

"Embry?" I whispered. "What are you doing here?"  
"Back up," he whispered back. "I'm coming."  
I took a step back as he climbed my tree and slid through the window. I was so amazed at his strength that I didn't really know what to do. I watched him as his muscles flexed when he climbed up. I loved his body; it was amazing.

"Ana," he whispered, taking me in his arms. "How are you?"

"Great," I laughed. "What in the world are you doing here?"  
"I'm just hanging." He raised his eyebrows. "What are you doing here?"

I closed my eyes and shook my head; I rested my head on his shoulder. "Embry, what if my dad hears?"  
"He's a sound sleeper," Embry laughed.

"And you know this how?"

"I just do." He wrapped his arms around me and rubbed my back. "So what do you want to do?"  
"I want to sleep," I chuckled.

"Oh really?" he asked, rocking me back and forth. "Is that so?"

"Yeah, it is."  
"Well, let's lay down."

He led me to his bed and flopped down with me on top of him. It felt awkward to be laying on him, but it also felt nice. I cuddled to his chest and took in his smell. He was so comfortable, so amazing. I had never felt this way about any guy before.

He ran his hand through my hair and wrapped it around his fingers. I closed my eyes and sighed. I couldn't let myself do this; I couldn't let myself like him so much.

"Embry," I whispered.

"Yes, my angel?" he asked.

"I don't know if I can do this."

"Do what?"  
I stood up and out of his arms. "Like you. I just don't know what I'm doing, or how this works, or anything. I can't like you anymore."

"I don't know why you're saying this," Embry whispered. "How could you say this?"  
"I guess I just didn't know what I was doing. I'm sorry I led you on."

"This isn't the reason you're saying this, Ana. I know you; you wouldn't leave anyone hanging out to dry like this."

"You don't know me," I fought. "You know nothing about me!"

"Ana, you need to be quiet, or else your dad will wake up, and we'll both get into a whole hell of a lot of trouble."  
I shook my head. "I don't care. Just leave, Embry."

"I'm not leaving until you tell me why you're doing this. Why are you doing this to me?"

"It's not because of you; it's because of me."  
"Don't even feed me that bull shit, Ana. That's the worst line you can tell anyone."

"It's the truth. What do you want me to do? Lie to you?"

"You're lying to me right now." He stood up as well. "You need to sit down and tell me what's wrong."

"Embry, go away!"  
"Ana, I'll warn you one more time, if you continue to scream, your dad is going to wake up and we'll both be in trouble."  
"Then go! Leave!"  
He shook his head. "Fine, but, if you need me, you know where to find me."  
He jumped out of my window and left.

My door opened; it was my dad.

"Ana, are you okay?" he asked. "I thought I heard yelling."

I ran my hand through my hair and sighed. "Everything's fine. I just was talking on the phone with Nessie."  
He smiled. "I'm glad. She's such a nice girl."

"Yeah. She is."

He looked at the clock. "Well, it's late. You should be getting to sleep."  
"Yeah, I should." I climbed into bed. "Night, Dad. I love you."

"I love you too. Remember you have school tomorrow."

"Yes, father." I shook my head with a chuckle. "I'll see you tomorrow."

"Okay, Ana. Sleep well."

"Thanks, Dad."

He closed the door and turned off the lights. I turned on my side and stared at the wall. I didn't know what I had just done, or how it would affect my life. All I knew was that I wasn't sure if it made me feel happy or sad.

Suddenly, I remembered my mom. I remembered her wanting so badly for me to be happy; I didn't even know if I could be happy without Embry, but I couldn't just call him back. It didn't work that way. If I wanted him back, I would have to work for it, but I wasn't even up to working for it. I didn't want to have anyone in my life; I didn't deserve to be happy.

Eventually, I fell asleep, but I didn't even know how I did. My mind was full of overpowering thoughts. How was I supposed to work this out?


	6. Chapter 6

I went to go take a shower; usually the warm water helped me clear my mind. It didn't help that morning.

I didn't eat any breakfast, so I climbed into my car and drove to school. It was freezing outside, but I didn't want to wear a jacket. I would've rather been cold than feel the pain that I caused.

When I got to school, almost no one was there. I looked at my car's clock, and it was only seven o'clock. School didn't start for another hour.

I pulled out my iPod from my backpack and put each headphone in my ears. I didn't know what music to play, or what I wanted to listen to, so I just pressed play. Airplanes by B.o.B and Haley Williams started playing. The lyrics flew through my head.

_Can we pretend that airplanes in the night sky are like shooting stars? I could really use a wish right now._

I closed my eyes and lay my head back on the top of my seat. After that song, I didn't pay attention to anything I was listening to. All I knew was that music was keeping me from thinking all the horrible thoughts that could've been running through my mind.

Something broke my thoughts. It was Nessie knocking at my window. I reached over and unlocked the door; she climbed in.

She smiled. "Hey, Ana. Why are you sitting all alone in your car? All the guys are over there, and we miss you."

I sighed. "I don't want to go over there."

"Why not?" She sounded concerned. "Is something wrong?"

"Embry and I got into a fight last night," I whispered. "I told him to leave me alone."  
"Honey, why would you do that?"  
I finally looked at her. "Because I can't like him."

"Why?"

"Because, I can't trust guys anymore."

"That makes no sense, Ana."

"Did I ever tell you that my mom died?"

"Not directly, but the whole town was talking about it before you came."

"Does everyone know how she died?"  
She shook her head.

"Well, my mom was amazing: beautiful, funny, smart, everything you would want in a wife and a mom. I loved her so much, but I was so rebellious that it was hard for her to ever get close to me; I regret that I did that now."

"That's not your fault, and that doesn't explain anything," she whispered.

"I'm not done." I ran my hair through my hair. "So, one night, she was coming home from work. Our house was so close that she could walk to and from work everyday. That wasn't the safest thing, but it worked for her. We didn't really have much money, so it was nice that we could walk to most places.

"Anyways, we had a strange relationship, but I loved her so much, I just rarely told her that. One night, she was walking home from work. She had to stay late, so it was dark out. My dad and I were waiting at home for her.

"We didn't hear from her for four hours, so my dad called her work, and they said she had left hours ago to come home. My dad called the police, obviously being worried. They said they would file it as a missing persons report, but that they couldn't assure anything. My dad told me to go to bed, and I couldn't. My mom was always home on time, and there was a reason she wasn't.

"At seven in the morning, the police knocked on our door. They had their hats off and asked to talk to my father. I called him downstairs, and the police talked to him for about thirty minutes. I sat in the living room, trying to hear what they were talking about.

"Once they left, my dad decided I needed to know the truth. He told me that they found my mother's body in a dumpster behind her work. She was cut across the stomach, wrists, and neck. She was also naked. They ran some tests, and they found out that she was raped and killed by a few passer-bys in the neighborhood. I cried for hours and hours without stopping. I didn't know how to handle it, or what I could do to sooth myself. The guys that killed her were to men from her work; their DNA matched the same that was on my mother's vagina.

"That's when my dad decided to move to La Push."

Nessie sighed. "I'm sorry, Ana, but I still don't see what that has to do with you leaving Embry."  
"My mom knew those guys," I whispered. "They came over to our house; even I knew them. After my mother was killed, I realized that I could never trust any male again. That's why I can't like Embry; I can't like anyone."

"Have you told Embry this?" she asked.

I shook my head. "No, but it's not something I want to share."  
"If he knew this, and if you told him, I'm sure you would feel a lot better about liking him."

I sighed. "I don't want to like him; I'm too scared."  
"If you live your life afraid of everything, you're never going to be happy. I'm sure your mom doesn't want this for you; I'm sure she wants you to be happy and take chances and live life to the fullest, and you can't do that if you're scared of everything."  
"I guess you're right." I sighed again. "But how am I going to fix this?"

"Call Embry, talk to him."  
"He won't just come back; I told him to leave."  
She shrugged. "You never know if you don't try."

"I guess. I'll call him tonight."

She smiled. "Good. If you ever need someone to talk to, you know I'm here."

"Yeah, I do."  
"Good." She hugged me. "Do you want to come hang out with us or not?"

"No, I'm gonna stay alone today."

"Okay, but you know where to find me."  
"Yeah, I do."

She smiled. "See you later."

"Wait!" I called.

She stopped. "Yeah."

"Can I have a hug?"

She smiled and hugged me.

"What are you doing here?" I realized that she didn't go to the school.

"I have the day off," she chuckled. "You need me, come over there, or call me."

"Okay. Thanks."

"Bye Ana."  
I lay my head back. It was going to be a long day.


	7. Chapter 7

I felt like a loner the rest of the day. I saw Embry and the rest of the guys all day. They tried to talk to me, but I ignored them. I couldn't talk to them. I felt so bad for talking to Embry like that. He was the only one who ignored me.

I had to talk to him; he was right when I told him that bullshit excuse.

I rushed home and picked up my phone. I didn't want to see him; I was too embarrassed to see him in person.

The phone rang a couple times before he picked up.

"Hello?"

"Hi," I whispered.

"Ana? What do you want?"

I was crushed. "I'm sorry. Will you come over? I need to talk to you."

"Are you sure you're not gonna yell at me again?"  
"Yeah," I whispered. "I just need to talk to you."

I heard him sigh. "Yeah. I'll be over there in ten."

"Okay. Thanks."  
"Be there soon."  
"Bye."

He hung up the phone and I lay down on my bed. I couldn't believe I was going to tell him the story, but I needed to. I wanted to be with him, and I was going to be with him.

The doorbell rang, but I heard my dad answer it. He sent Embry upstairs. Embry knocked on my door.

"Come in," I whispered.

He opened the door and closed it softly behind him.

"What Ana?"

I sighed and walked over to him. He looked surprised when I hugged him and cried. He held me close and rocked me back and forth.

"What's going on, Ana?" he whispered. "What's wrong?"

"I'm sorry," I cried. "I'm so, so sorry."

I didn't understand what I was crying for, but I just needed to cry.

"Why are you sorry?" He picked me up and sat us on my bed. "Why are you crying?"

"I was so scared," I cried. "Especially after what happened to my mom. If you knew what happened, you would know why I'm scared."

"Then why don't you tell me?" he asked. "You can go ahead and share with me. You can tell me anything."  
I told him the story, and he held me through everything. I cried harder than I had ever cried before. I wanted the terrible nightmare of my mother's death to go away.

"I'm so sorry, Ana," Embry whispered, holding me close. "I'm so, so sorry. I could never imagine something like this. It must've been so hard."  
"It's been so hard," I cried. "I feel like a huge part of my life is missing, and I just want it to come back. I just want my mommy back."

He rocked me back and forth and ran a hand through my hair. He was so comforting, and I loved him so much. I really didn't understand why he was so good to me, but I loved him.

"It's okay," he soothed. "It's all okay. I'm here Ana."

"It's not okay," I cried. "I just want my mommy."  
"Shh." He continued to rock me. "It's all okay."

I cuddled to his chest, leaving tearstains on his shirt. I held him close as he ran his hands through my hair.

I looked up at him slowly. "I love you."  
He smiled at me. "I love you too Ana."

He leaned down and kissed me softly, making sure to pull away slowly. I pulled him back, though, and continued to kiss him. He didn't fight me, but continued to kiss me until I pulled away.

"Do you really love me?" I whispered.

He nodded. "I wouldn't say it if I didn't mean it."  
"I just don't know what was going on through my mind. I was just so scared."  
"I can understand why you were so scared, Ana; I understand everything, but you don't need to be afraid of me. I will never hurt you."  
I looked up at him with wide eyes. "Promise?"  
He smiled and kissed my forehead. "Promise."

"I'm so tired," I whispered. "But I don't want you to leave."  
"I'll stay here, if you want."  
I looked up at him and gave him a little kiss. "Would you? Wouldn't your mom get mad?"

"My mom can chill," he chuckled. "I'll be here with you."

"Okay." I started climbing into my blankets. "Will you lay with me?"  
"Of course," he whispered, climbing in next to me. "Just remember that I won't be here when you get up."  
"Okay." I cuddled next to him. "Thank you."  
"No problem, Ana." He kissed my forehead. "I love you."  
"I love you too Embry," I whispered, closing my eyes.

I slept better than I had ever slept before.

Embry was gone when I woke up the next morning, but I knew he'd be gone. I rubbed my eyes and sat up, almost not believing what happened last night. I felt so rested; I had never been so relaxed in my entire life.

I finished my morning routine and went downstairs to meet my dad. He was sitting at the kitchen table, drinking coffee and reading the paper.

"Morning Dad," I greeted.

He looked over at me and folded his newspaper. "Hey Ana. You ready for school?"  
I nodded.

"Okay." He smirked. "Well, I'm glad we're gonna be early today."

I shook my head and rolled my eyes. "Let's go Daddy."  
We drove to school without a word, and I wasn't exactly sure why. But he parked, and I got out to go see Embry.

I walked to the normal place they hung out before school. They were all sitting there, and, for the first time, I was nervous to go see them.

"Ana!" Seth called. "Come over here!"

I smiled softly as I walked over to them. Embry wrapped his arm around my shoulders and kissed my forehead.

A couple awkward seconds passed until Paul said, "so, are you guys together or what?"

Embry looked down at me. "I dunno. Are we?"  
I nodded. "Yeah, we are."  
He smiled and kissed me softly.

"Do we get to enjoy you guys making out every second?" Jacob teased.

I glared at him and hit him on the shoulder.

"Ouch," he chuckled. "That hurt so bad."  
"Ana," Quil spoke up. "Wanna come chill at my house tonight?"  
I looked at him. "Oh yeah. Who all is gonna be there?"

"Who do you think?" he chuckled.

I smirked. "I get it."

"So are you in or not?"

"Uh, yeah. I guess. What are we gonna do?"

"Watch movies and shit. That's all we ever do."

I looked up at Embry. "Yeah, sounds good."  
"Alright." The bell rang for class. "We'll see you tonight."  
"Bye."  
They left; Embry and I sat there.

"So, Ana, do you really want to be together?" he whispered.

I nodded and turned to him, resting my head on his chest. "Yeah, I'm sure."

"Okay." He kissed me. "Let's get to class."  
I smiled as we walked hand in hand.


	8. Chapter 8

After school, I went home with Nessie, who decided it was imperative that I dress up for the movie night Quil was having. I still dressed in my baggy sweat pants and sweatshirt, but that wasn't good enough.

When we got to my house, my dad was sitting in the living room, watching some hockey game on television.

"Hey girls!" My dad got up and hugged me. "What's going on tonight?"  
"We're going to Quil's for movies and stuff," I explained as he hugged me.

"Sounds like fun." He hugged Nessie as well. "Be home by two?"  
"Of course, Mr. Hatcher," Nessie laughed.

"Oh are you staying over night?" my dad asked.

"If that's okay with you," she replied.

"Perfectly fine with me." My dad kissed the top of my head. "You girls have fun!"  
"We will!" Nessie called back as I dragged her up the stairs.

I finally got her in my room and closed the door.

"I like your father," she giggled as she plopped down on my bed.

"Most people do," I chuckled. "Now why do I have to dress up for this?"  
"Because it's a party!" she answered.

"A party?" I asked. "We're watching movies."  
"Come on," she whined. "Humor me!"  
"Fine," I growled. "You wanna do my make up?"  
"Like you have to ask," she snorted. "Luckily I brought make up. We need to go shopping to get some for you."  
"Ugh, I hate shopping," I whined.

"Oh shut up and sit at your desk so I can do your make up."  
I never understood how Nessie was so good at doing my make up. She was like a professional without the price. When she was done, I was completely transformed. I didn't look like the girl who wore those baggy clothes; I looked like the girl who wore high heels and tight clothes.

"You look beautiful," she cooed. "Don't you want to look like this all the time?"  
"Even if I did, I wouldn't get the technique down like you," I told her. "You're amazing."  
She smirked. "Not to toot my own horn, but you're right."  
I rolled my eyes and chuckled. "Don't get too cocky or you might choke."  
"Ewww!" she laughed. "That's so nasty!"  
I laughed with her, and we laughed until we were crying. In Louisiana, all my friends were guys; I hated girls because they were catty and emotional, but Nessie was such a great friend. I enjoyed having her around, even though girls weren't my thing; I could barely stand them.

"You're gonna ruin your make up!" Nessie scolded.

That only made me laugh more.

She slapped me and giggled. "I'm being serious!"

"Okay, okay." I caught my breath. "I'm good."  
"So do you have anything besides these baggy pants?" she asked.

I shrugged. "Beats me. I wear whatever I grab first."  
"Ugh!" she whined and walked over to my closet. "Like I said, shopping!"  
"No!" I begged. "Please don't make me go!"  
She rolled her eyes as she started digging through my closet. She finally found a pair of jeans that weren't stained with oil or torn to almost pieces. After that she found a blue, V-neck, long sleeved top that I barely ever worn.

"Finally something cute," she laughed. "Get dressed. We're going over there in an hour."  
"How are you so perfect?" I asked. "Like you don't need any touching up or anything."  
"Oh, trust me honey, I am a piece of work. It takes me about two hours to get ready in the morning, one hour if I hurry. This takes a lot of work."  
"I bet you're just as pretty without make up," I told her.

She shrugged. "Maybe, but I like doing make up. It makes me feel like I'm an artist, and my face is a palate. That's why I love doing yours. You are like my own work of art. I just keep going, adding little touches, until my masterpiece is complete."

Her love of make up was like my love of cars.  
"Wow, that's deep." I pulled my clothes off and got changed quickly. "Well, do you think I'm ready?"  
She smiled and got up. "You look beautiful. Let's go."  
We got our stuff together and walked out to the car. She jumped in and we drove over to Quil's. We got there, walked to the door, and Quil immediately answered.

"Hey girlies!" he greeted, hugging us both at the same time. "About time you showed up!"  
"Who all is here?" Nessie asked as she let herself in.

"See for yourself," Quil laughed as he led me in.

Nessie immediately plopped into Jacob's lap. Embry was sitting next to him, chomping on a bag of chips. He looked over at me, and a smile grew on his face.

"Hi baby," he greeted as he walked over to me.

I chuckled at the pet name as I let him engulf me in his arms. "Hey, pig."  
He squeezed me harder. "That's not nice."  
"So?" I teased. "Stop stuffing your face."  
He kissed the top of my head and carried me over to the couch. He sat down with me on his lap.

"When's Rachel coming over?" Quil yelled into the kitchen.

That meant Paul was there too.

"How am I supposed to know?" he called back. "She gets here when she gets here!"

Quil rolled his eyes and sat down next to Embry and me. "God, I can never figure anything anymore."  
I smiled at him, and he chuckled.

"Your smile is so fucking contagious," he laughed.

"That's why I like her." Embry kissed my neck. "She's a little sweetheart."  
I shrugged my shoulders, removing his lips from my sensitive skin.

"When are we going out again baby?" he purred into my ear.

"When you take me out," I chuckled.

"Did you actually put make up on?" Paul asked me as he sat down in the other couch.

"Courtesy of Nessie," I laughed.

"You look beautiful," Embry whispered. "But that's not unusual."  
The doorbell rang, and Rachel, Molly, and Kim walked in. They greeted everyone, and that was when I saw Jared and Seth for the first time that night. Seth grabbed Molly by the waist and kissed her. Rachel walked over to me, hugged me, and then sat down next to Paul. It was almost weird to hang out with so many people. I never hung out with more than three people back home, unless I was with my dad, and I barely talked to anyone.

"Are Collin and Brady coming?" Molly asked.

Seth shook his head. "I don't think so. They had something else planned."  
"So it's just us?" Rachel asked.

"I've got someone coming over," Quil said.

"Quil?" Jacob teased. "Oh really?"  
He nodded. "Her names Kelly. Be nice."  
"Aren't we always?" Jared teased.

"No," Quil replied.

Embry held me closer and rested his face in the crook of my neck. His warm breath felt so good against the bare skin, and it made me relax. Everyone was talking, but I really didn't pay attention. Quil's new friend came, and she was pretty. They all were nice to her. I murmured a quick hello, but didn't pay much attention. I didn't know why I was so tired, but I didn't feel like talking.

Quil ordered pizza, and I was surprised at how much he ordered. There were ten pizzas, plus Buffalo wings and bread sticks. It was hard for me to understand how they could eat that much, especially since the girls and I barely ate anything.

After we were all settled in with the food, Quil put in Saw IV for us to watch. All the girls were a little freaked out about it, but I loved scary movies; I had watched them for as long as I could remember. It never occurred to me that they could be really. Actually, I found most of them really funny because they were so unrealistic.

I moved from Embry's lap to resting my head on his shoulder. He had his arm around me and caressed my upper arm slowly. For the longest time I was so afraid of hanging out with guys without an adult around because of my mom, but something in Embry changed that. He made me feel safe and secure. A part of my body was scared that he could make me feel that way, but the other part was completely happy. I needed some peace in my life, and Embry was the one who would give it to me.


End file.
